About Me
Active Restraint Mk 1: - Formed in 1980 by 16 year old David Newton in Wolverhampton England, he soon joined forces with his pal Andy Jones (aka Cookie) from previous punk band "Gang Warfare". Ads were placed, & the pair found drummer Nick Peters & vocalist / melodica player Vini /Ed Balbour. Rehearsing at Newton's ex-school "Parkfields" the quartet made their debut playing there soon after, followed by another at The Star Hotel in Shifnal, supporting Leicester new-romantics "Future Toys" (which concluded in a fist fight between the two bands / followers!). Peters quit on the eve of a booked recording session, so on Aug 10th 1981 the remaining trio begged M.R.S Studio owner John Taylor to drum on the session, which he agreed to do! Jones quit soon after to concentrate on his apprenticeship, & a new bassist was found in Martin Peake from Stourbridge & Paul Hollis stepped in on drums. Despite making one recording at Rich Bitch Studio in October, the band never quite gelled & drifted apart soon afterwards, Vini (now going as Ed) and Martin formed “Giant Treads Clean†& supported (a very early) The Smiths at Cannock Miner’s Gala in in 1983, & Ed also played trumpet once on Top Of The Pops with Pop Will Eat Itself! The end?? Not exactly!.....Active Restraint Mk 2: In early 1982 Newton ran into school mate & drummer Andy Barker in a pub & the pair agreed to form a band. They persuaded fellow schoolfriend Paul “Titter†Marsh to have a bash at singing! It worked, & they found bassist Dave Ashe through a local ad. Many gigs were played (all new material, even though the name was kept) & a single was recorded at FSR Studio in B’ham for local The Sticky Label. “Terror In My Home†which received several evening BBC Radio One plays on John Peel / Kid Jensen etc. Ashe quit and by summer Tony Linehan, a regular at their fave haunt JB’s in Dudley had joined, convincing Marsh & Newton, in Dudley Wine Bar, that he could play Bow Wow Wow’s “Your Cassette Pet†on bass in it’s entirety! It started to feel like a “real†band finally, & more gigs followed (many with fellow Sticky band Another Dream) & a “live†4 song recording session at Rich Bitch that October. Impressed by the new sound, Sticky were keen to do another single, & even allowed the band to choose Cargo Studio in Rochdale, where Joy Division cut “Atmosphere†& the likes of The Fall, The Chameleons & Blue Orchids recorded their finest! The results were good, artwork completed & the single was ready to go! Until Newton heard that Neal Cook & Dave Atherton were breaking up Another Dream & were looking to form “a local supergroup†(yes, really!). So Active Restraint absurdly ended overnight when Newton instantaneously quit and joined what would become the The Wild Flowers, who went on to make an album & a couple of singles & played with Simple Minds, Icicle Works, The Bluebells, The Chameleons & others.It doesn’t end there either: - Newton quit The Wild Flowers a year later (though they would continue with both US & UK success till the mid 90's), joined back up with Marsh, & pleaded with Linehan to return, & The Mighty Lemon Drops were born! Now that is another story………….
